The May 2004 Harvard Business Review article “Building Better Boards” is 21 years in the rearview mirror and wasn’t written with pool governance in mind. However, it serves as a good reminder of what it means to have an engaged governing body.
The article outlines five types of board engagement — passive, certifying, engaged, intervening and operating — offering a useful framework to assess how a pool board functions and how it might evolve to meet the needs of the organization.
During a recent discussion among pool executives, one participant remarked, “I thought I had a really engaged Board, but now I think the Board is more focused on certifying.” Another executive described how her Board played an essential operating role when the pool was established but now may be ready to transition toward a different governance model. She plans to share the article with her Board to initiate a strategic conversation about its role.
These reflections highlight a central idea from the HBR article: effective boards align their level of involvement with current priorities. Achieving that alignment requires intentionality, transparency and thoughtful recalibration of roles and responsibilities.
High-performing governing bodies revisit and clarify their approach over time. This ensures the Board’s contributions remain relevant, constructive and attuned to the pool’s development. AGRiP offers several resources to support governing body reflection and adaptation:
- Advisory Standards for Recognition articulate core governance practices specific to pooling.
- Our Pooling Basics curriculum, available through Pooling Academy, introduces key governance concepts and provides a shared language for governing body conversations.
- Governance Conference 2026 (March 1–4 in Nashville provides training and development appropriate for governing bodies so they can work on challenges and opportunities in a collaborative environment. Plan ahead for your pool’s governing body to attend.